Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 29
The Voice of the Lord
A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,[a]
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord
in the splendor of his holiness.[b](A)
3 The voice of the Lord is above the waters.
The God of glory thunders—
the Lord, above the vast water,(B)
4 the voice of the Lord in power,
the voice of the Lord in splendor.(C)
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.(D)
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,(E)
and Sirion, like a young wild ox.(F)
7 The voice of the Lord flashes flames of fire.(G)
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.(H)
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth[c](I)
and strips the woodlands bare.(J)
In his temple all cry, “Glory!”
3 Samuel told them, “If you(A) are returning to the Lord(B) with all your heart,(C) get rid of the foreign gods(D) and the Ashtoreths that are among you, set your hearts on the Lord, and worship only him.(E) Then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites removed the Baals and the Ashtoreths(F) and only worshiped the Lord.
5 Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at Mizpah,(G) and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.”(H) 6 When they gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the Lord’s presence.(I) They fasted that day,(J) and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.”(K) And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah.
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. When the Israelites heard about it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. 8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, so that he will save us from the Philistines.”
9 Then Samuel took a young lamb(L) and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on behalf of Israel, and the Lord answered him.(M) 10 Samuel was offering the burnt offering as the Philistines approached to fight against Israel. The Lord thundered loudly(N) against the Philistines that day and threw them into such confusion that they were defeated by Israel.(O) 11 Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines striking them down all the way to a place below Beth-car.
12 Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it upright(P) between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,[a] explaining, “The Lord has helped us to this point.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued(Q) and[b] did not invade Israel’s territory again.(R) The Lord’s hand was against the Philistines all of Samuel’s life. 14 The cities from Ekron to Gath, which they had taken from Israel, were restored; Israel even rescued their surrounding territories from Philistine control. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 Samuel judged Israel throughout his life.(S) 16 Every year he would go on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah and would judge Israel at all these locations. 17 Then he would return to Ramah(T) because his home was there, he judged Israel there, and he built an altar to the Lord there.
19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength.(A)
Saul Proclaiming the Messiah
Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. 20 Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”(B)
21 All who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?” (C)
22 But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.
23 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plot. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him,(D) 25 but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.(E)
Saul in Jerusalem
26 When he arrived in Jerusalem,(F) he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. 27 Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly(G) in the name of Jesus.(H) 28 Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.(I) 30 When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.(J)
The Church’s Growth
31 So the church(K) throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
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